Rotator attachment for pumping jacks



Patented Mar. 31, 1942 I UNHTED' STATES PATENT OFF-ICE James 0. Wilson,Strawn, Tex.

Application July 24,1941, Serial No. 403,918 2 Claims. (01. 74-21) ingthe well rod from scoring and for smooth-" ing out old scores andgrooves in the rod thus increasing the life of the rod and of glandpackings.

Among the particular advantages of the attachment are: That it willprevent well rods and rod joints from wearing flat which occursespecially in crooked holes and where crooked sucker rods are used; thatit will turn well rods always in a clockwise direction to prevent thesuction rod joints from being unscrewed and uncoupled;

and that it will operate on the down stroke of the well rod to preventthe sand cutting grooves in the valve cups and scoring the Workingbarrel and that could be used on inserted pumps for rotating the pumptube.

A particular advantage of the invention resides in the fact that it isconstructed and arranged to operate on the down or gravity stroke of thewell rod so that no increase of or addie tional power is required tooperate the attachmerit due to the fact that the pumping jack operatesonly for raising the well rod.

A further aim of the invention is to provide an attachment of the abovedescribed character that is of simple construction and capable of beingeconomically manufactured; and which may be readily applied to well rodsand pumping jacks already in use and of conventional con- I structionwithout affecting their normal operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter becomemore fully apparent from the following description of the drawing whichillustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing the rotator attached to apolish or well rod and its pumping jack,

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a part of the rotator,

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the part shown in Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical section view taken substantially alongthe plane of the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawing; wherein like referencecharacters designate like or coresponding parts throughout the differentviews, H) designates generally a conventional pumping jack having arocking frame I l which is pivotally mounted at l2 and which isconnected to a walking beam 13 thereof by means of a pitman I l. Thefree end of the walking beam [3 is connected in a conventional manner toa polish or well rod l5 nearthe upper end thereof.

Previously described parts are all of conventional construction and areshown and described merely to illustrate the application of the rotatorattachment, designatedgenerally as It, and comprising the invention. Theattachment H5 includes a ratchet wheel I! which is keyed to the well rodl5 above the beam l3 and between a pair of collars IS. A bar I9 isturnably mounted on. the rod l5 and is disposed to rest on the uppercollar l8, said bar being connected to the rod I5 intermediate of itsends. A second bar 20 is turnably mounted adjacent one end thereof, onthe well rod l5 and is disposed below the lower collar l8. The bar 20 isconnected intermediate of its ends to one end of the bar l9 by means ofan outer nut and bolt fas'tening 2| and an inner nut and bolt fastening22'. The bars l9 and 20 and the nut and bolt fastenings 2| and 22combine to form a' lever 23 which is turnably mounted on the well rod I5and supported thereon by the collars I8.

Ihe opposite end of the bar I8 is provided with longitudinally spacedapertures 23 for selectively receiving a nut andbolt fastening 24 towhich is connected the counterweight 25 for a purpose which willhereinafter be described.

The free end of the bar 20, which extends beyond the first mentioned endof the bar l9, likewise is provided with a series oflongitudinallyspaced openings 26 for selectively receiving a nut and bolt fastening 21to which is swivelly connected an inverted yoke shaped member 28 whichdepends from the bar'20.

The connecting rod 29 is provided with an eye 39 at one end thereof,which is disposed in the yoke-shaped member 28 and connected thereto bymeans of pin 3 I, to thereby provide a universal connection between theconnecting rod 29 and the lever 23. The opposite end of the connectingrod 29 is provided with an eye 32 which is pivotally connected in anysuitable manner, as at 33, to a portion of the rocking frame I I.

An elongated, longitudinally disposed ratchet dog 34 is pivotallyconnected at one end thereof to the nut bolt fastening 2|, between barsIll and 20. The dog 34 extends outwardly from'the side of the lever 23,opposite to the side from which the connecting rod 29 projects, andtoward the ratchet Wheel I l, and the free end thereof is curvedinwardly and toward said ratchet wheel and is adapted to engage betweenteeth thereof, as best seen in Figure 2. A staple or eye 35 is securedin the ratchet dog 34, intermediate of the ends thereof, and projectsfrom the inner side thereof. A contractile coil spring 36 is connectedat one end thereof to the staple 35 and has its opposite end anchored tothe fastening 22 for urging the ratchet dog 34 to swing inwardly towardthe lever 23.

From theforegoing will be obvious that when the lever-23 is turned in aclockwise direction, as seen in Figure 2, the free end of the dog 34will be held engaged with teeth of the ratchet wheel IT, by the spring36, causing the ratchet wheel and the rod l to turn with the lever 23.other hand, when the lever 23 is turning in the opposite, or in acounterclockwise direction, the spring 36 will allow the free end oftheratchet dog 34 to yield outwardly, thereby permitting its free end toride over the teeth of the ratchet wheel I! solthat thelever can swingrelatively .to the ratchet wheel and to the wellrod I5. I

by move the well rod upwardly. The weight of the well rodand thepartsattached thereto -will cause :the well-rodgto slide downwardly andto swingthe walking beam is and the other pivoted partslin theoppos-itedirection-and to move the connectingrod 31 ;in theopposite direction, to

The bar the direction indicated, by the arrow 38. Zflprojects from thewell rod 85 in a direction toward the right, 1 looking 7 toward the wellrod and; theapumpin'g jack ill-from the lefthandend of jFigure '1.Consequently, on the down or gravity, stroke of the well =rod I5 as thepumping I jack frame I l isswinging toward the well rod and as;theconnecting rod=29 isbeing moved toward a horizontal position; it will bereadily obvious'that a push will be exerted on connecting rod2 9 by theframe 1! for turning-the lever 23 in a clockwise direction, as seen inFigure 2, to partially. revolve the ratchet wheel I! and-the ,well rodl5. As previously, pointed out, this ,will require no power otherthanthat, exerted by thedownward gravity pull of the well rod. On theupstrokeofthewell rod, lever 23 will be turned in a counterclockwisedirection back to its-original position, by the pull exerted thereonby;*I'0d329, and in so. moving the freaend, ofthe ratchetrdogfi l will rideoverthe teeth; of the ratchet wheel IT, as previously explained. It,will thus;be; obvious thatthe well rod l5will bepartially revolved oneach stroke thereof to likewise revolve parts connected thereto On therelatively to the working barrel of the pump. The extent to which thewell rod l5 will be turned with each stroke thereof will constitute onlya part of a revolution and can obviously be varied by adjusting the yoke28, relatively to the lever 23, by positioning the fastening 21 indifferent openings 26. I

counterweight 25 is provided to counterbalance the weight of theconnecting rod 29, yoke 28 and dog 34, and may be adjustedlongitudinally of the bar [9 for'correctly'balancing the lever 23.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously beresorted to, as only --a preferred embodiment of the invention has beendisclosed.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a pumping jack and a 'wellrod connected theretoand actuated thereby,

a ratchet wheel adapted to be keyed to the well 'rod above the walkingbeam of the pumping jack,

a;lever rotatably connected to the well rod, a con necting rod connectedat one end to-ranrend of said lever and connected at itsopposite end tothe rocking frame of the pumping jack, aratchet dog pivotallyconnectedat one of, its ends to .said lever, .betweenthe ,well rod andthe connecting rod, and extending from thersideof said lever. oppositethe side from which the connecting rod projects,,the free end of saiddog being disposed to engage the teeth voffitheratchet wheel, acontractile coil spring-connected. atone ,end ,to the intermediate,portionof. said dogand anchored at its opposite-end to the lever foryieldablypositioningthe freeend, ofthedog, relatively to the lever, sothat ,the dog will, ride;over theteethof the: ratchet wheel when,tlmdever isturned in one direction relatively ,tO thBaWQH .ro-d andwill engagewith the-teeth or the ratchet. wheel. or turning the ,ratchetwheel and well rod, when the lever is swung in the opposite direction,said lever beingarranged to engageand turn the ratchet wheel and wellrod on the;down,.or gravity stroke of thewell rod.

2. An apparatuses ,inclaim l, said lever including, two bars, one otthebars having an opening intermediate of its. ends, for turnably engagingthe well rod, above .the ratchet .wheel, the

other bar having. an opening adj acent oneend thereof from turnably;engaging the well rod, beneath the ratchet :wheel, ,said bars havingcomplementary overlappingendsconnected by spaced nutandbolt fastenings,saiddog being mounted on one ,of ,said fastenings ,andsaid spring beinganchored 1 to the other iastening, and .said connecting rod beingconnected to the opposite end of the last mentioned bar.

JAMES O. -WILS ON.

